Device For Use With Pastry Bags

ABSTRACT

A device with a body and a central opening through which the pastry bag may be inserted. The opening has at least one projection extending from a perimeter of the opening arranged to engage the bag. The device may include a sidewall, and may further include a flange extending from the sidewall. The device may also have slits separating a plurality of projections which extend from the perimeter of the opening. In further embodiments, the flange may be tilted or the sidewall may include support ribbing to increase peripheral rigidity of the device. A method of using the device with a pastry bag.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/837,987 filed on Aug. 16, 2006, which is incorporatedby reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains generally to hand-held devices used inthe culinary arts for applying topping, icing, frosting, or the like,commonly referred to as pastry bags. Specifically, the present inventionpertains to a device to assist in the use of pastry bags in theapplication of topping, icing or frosting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be used to assist with dispensing viscousmaterials such as paste-like extrudable materials, extrudable foams, orthe like. One area where the invention has particular application is thefood industry. In the food industry, frostings, icing or pre-whippedtoppings having a high viscosity are typically applied manually by meansof a cone shaped flexible package, known as a pastry bag, containing thesubstance to be dispensed. The flexible packaging may be plastic, paper,fabric, or other suitable material. As an example, pre-whipped toppingis typically supplied in a sealed pastry bag having a conical shape. Thetopping is supplied into the wider filling end of the pastry bag and theproduct is dispensed from the narrower dispensing end of the conicalpastry bag. In the case of a sealed pastry bag, the dispensing end istypically opened by cutting with a pair of scissors. Other methods foropening the bag are also suitable. Once the flexible packaging is openedat the dispensing end, the product is dispensed by manually squeezingthe sides of the packaging to force the product to exit through theopening. Typically, as the product is dispensed, the user must manuallyfold or twist the filling end of the bag to maintain the desiredpressure on the product being dispensed to ensure even distribution ofthe product. The process of using a pastry bag, as described above, isnot without drawbacks. The user must repeatedly twist or fold thefilling end of the pastry bag in order to evenly dispense the productand to try to dispense all of the product from the bag. Repeatedtwisting or folding of the filling end of the bag may cause musclefatigue or carpal tunnel syndrome in the user. Also, in order todispense the desired amount of product, the user may need some skill inproperly folding or twisting the filling end of the bag. Lastly,continued handling and twisting of the bag may promote heat transfer andshorten shelf life of the product. There is a need for a device that cansolve these problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the above-described need by providing adevice that is applied to the filling end of a pastry bag. The devicekeeps the end of the bag tightly closed so there is no need toreconfigure the bag each time topping is applied. After each squeeze ofthe bag to dispense the topping, the user may slide the device down theempty portion of the bag thereby preventing the topping from flowingback into the empty portion of the pastry bag.

The device has a body and a central opening through which the pastry bagmay be inserted. The body has at least one resiliently deflectableprojection extending from a perimeter of the opening and arranged toengage the bag. The device may include a sidewall, and may furtherinclude a flange extending from the sidewall. The device may also haveslits separating a plurality of projections which extend from theperimeter of the opening. In other embodiments, the flange may be tiltedrelative to the sidewall, or the sidewall may include support ribbing toincrease peripheral rigidity of the device.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide auser-friendly device for use with a substance dispensing bag such as apastry bag that reduces waste, time, and money.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device thatallows a pastry bag to be operated with one hand while dispensing thesubstance contained therein.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a devicethat reduces stress on the hands and wrists of a user of a pastry bag.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will bereadily appreciable from the following description of preferredembodiments of the invention and from the accompanying drawings andclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature and mode of operation of the present invention will now bemore fully described in the following detailed description of theinvention taken with the accompanying drawing figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a device formed in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the device depicted in FIG. 1 takenalong line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a device formed in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a device formed in accordance with a thirdembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a device formed in accordance with a fourthembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the device depicted in FIG. 1 incombination with a pastry bag;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a device formed in accordance witha fifth embodiment of the present invention in combination with a pastrybag, illustrating a method of extruding product from the bag by a user;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the device depicted in FIG. 7 takensubstantially along line B-B of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 a top plan view of the device depicted in FIG. 7, shown withprojections thereof in an extended position;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the device depicted in FIG. 9 takensubstantially along line C-C of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a device formed in accordance witha sixth embodiment of the present invention similar to the fifthembodiment, however further comprising support ribbing;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a device formed in accordance witha seventh embodiment of the present invention similar to the sixthembodiment, however having an angled flange; and

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a device formed in accordance with aneighth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Like drawing numbers on different figures identify identical orfunctionally similar structural features of the invention. The presentinvention is described with respect to what is presently considered tobe the preferred aspects, but it should be appreciated that theinvention as claimed is not limited to the disclosed aspects. Theinvention is not limited to the particular methodology, materials andmodifications described and as such may, of course, vary. Theterminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularaspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the presentinvention.

The invention may be used on pastry bags for applying frosting, icing,pre-whipped topping, fillings, glazes, finishers or other products, inthe food service industry. The pastry bags may be presealed or may besealed or unsealed by the user. For simplicity, the invention will bedescribed, by example, wherein pre-whipped topping is supplied in asealed pastry bag having a conical shape. However, it should beappreciated that any substances having a paste-like consistency orviscosity could be used with the invention.

FIGS. 1-4 depict various embodiments of a device 10 of the presentinvention. The device 10 has a body 11 which may be a flexible plasticdisc and may have a circular shape as shown in the figures. The body 11may be one piece as shown. However, other shapes such as rectangle,triangle, polygon or the like are within the scope of the invention.Other suitable materials may also be used such as polymers, compositesor the like.

An aperture or opening 12 may be located in the center of the body 11.Arranged along a perimeter of the opening 12 may be at least oneprojection 14 directed towards the center of the body 11. Variousarrangements of projections 14 may be used as depicted in FIGS. 1-4. Theprojections 14 may also be partially formed by one or more slits 13 asdepicted in FIG. 4. The projections 14, being preferably constructedfrom plastic, may be flexible.

The device 10 may be applied to a filling end 32 of a pastry bag 30 asdepicted in FIG. 5. A typical pastry bag 30 is usually conical orcylindrical in shape and has a filling end 32 which may have a largeopening into which pre-whipped topping or other product is placed. Theproduct is generally of a paste-like consistency or has a similarviscosity. Opposite the filling end 32 is the dispensing end 34 whichtypically has an opening smaller than that of the opening in the fillingend 32 of the pastry bag 30. The dispensing end 34 typically contains anozzle 36 or other device for dispensing the product as desired.Typically, the product is loaded into the pastry bag 30 at the fillingend 32. The filling end 32 may then be folded, twisted, or otherwisesealed to keep the product in the pastry bag 30.

The device 10 may be used by inserting the filling end 32 of the pastrybag 30 through the opening 12. The projections 14 deflect toward fillingend 32 and exert a spring force on the bag to close the filling end 32,thereby preventing backflow and escape of product from the filling end.The portion of the bag which is passed through the opening 12 becomesthe used portion 38 of the bag 30, where little or no topping isremaining. In other words, as the device 10 is moved along the bag 30the used portion 38 is evacuated of product.

Projections 14 may converge toward a point, such that the projectionsengage bag 30 to inhibit movement of device 10 toward filling end 32.

Topping or product is dispensed from the dispensing end 34 of the pastrybag 30 in the direction of the arrow indicated by reference number 35 bya user 33 squeezing the pastry bag as depicted in FIG. 6. The device 10and, more specifically, projections 14 prevent the topping from movingin the direction of arrow 39 into the used portion 38. The device 10thereby acts in similar fashion to a check valve or non return valve.Also, as the topping is dispensed, the user may slide the device 10 downthe used portion 38 of the pastry bag 30 in a direction towards thenozzle 36 so as to apply even pressure to the topping being dispensed.The device 10 keeps pressure on the topping in the pastry bag 30 anddoes not allow the topping to flow back in the direction of the arrowindicated by reference number 39 into the used portion 38 of the pastrybag 30 when the bag is squeezed. In addition, moving the device 10 downthe used portion 38 of the pastry bag 30 advantageously allows forcomplete, or almost complete evacuation of the product from the pastrybag 30. There may be a seal located at the filling end 32 of the bag 30,but the seal may break during normal use and the device 10 preventsproduct from leaking out of the filling end 32.

As previously mentioned, it is customary for a user to repeatedly twistor fold the filling end 32 of the pastry bag 30 in order to evenlydispense the product. However, this is not necessary when employingdevice 10. The invention allows for complete or almost completeevacuation of the bag, thereby saving money. The invention may alsoreduce muscle fatigue and incidences of carpal tunnel syndrome as theuser no longer needs to repeatedly twist the filling end of the bag inorder to dispense the product.

It is also customary for two-handed operation of the bag, whereby onehand is used to hold the twisted or folded filling end 32 and the otherhand is used to dispense the product. The invention allows forone-handed dispensing of product. The invention also allows a user whois less skilled in using a pastry bag to dispense the desired amount ofproduct.

Furthermore, the invention may provide the product in the bag to have alonger shelf life by reducing heat transfer and surface area of theproduct that is exposed to the environment. Heat transfer is reducedbecause the user does not have to repeatedly handle (twist) the fillingend of the bag thereby reducing the surface area of the product that isexposed to the environment when keeping pressure applied to the productto be dispensed. The invention thereby saves time, money, energy andneedless stress to the hands of a user.

FIGS. 7-13 depict additional embodiments of a device 20 of the presentinvention having a body 21. The body 21 may be a flexible plastic discand may be circular as shown in the figures. However, other shapes suchas rectangle, triangle, polygon or the like are within the scope of theinvention. Other suitable materials may also be used such as polymers,composites or the like.

An opening 22 may be provided through body 21. Arranged along aperimeter of the opening 22 may be at least one projection 24 directedtowards the center of the body 21. As previously discussed in relationto the device 10, various arrangements of projections 24 may be used inthe device 20. Projections may also be partially formed by one or moreslits 23. The device 20 may further include a sidewall 25 and a flange26 extending from the sidewall 25. The sidewall 25 and the flange 26provide for better support of the device 20 when arranged on a bag 30.In the embodiments of FIGS. 7-13, a plurality of projections 24 maycompletely close opening 22 when the projections are in theirundeflected relaxed position.

FIGS. 7-8 depict the device 20 in a relaxed, closed position wherein theprojections 24 touch edge to edge. FIGS. 9-10 depict the device 20 in anopen position where projections 24 are flexed in a common direction awayfrom the body 21. Projections 24, being preferably constructed fromplastic, may be flexible and resiliently engage a bag and function inthe same fashion as the device 10 shown in FIGS. 5-6.

The device 20 may further include a support ribbing 40 on the sidewall25 as depicted in FIG. 11. The support ribbing 40 may further improveperipheral rigidity of the device 20. To further improve peripheralrigidity and provide for a more comfortable interaction with a user, theflange 42 may be angled as depicted in FIG. 12 in contrast to thestraight flange 26 depicted in FIG. 8.

Turning to FIG. 13, another embodiment of the invention includes adevice 100 that may be constructed of a relatively thin plasticmaterial. The device 100 may be round or circular as shown in the figureor may be constructed in other shapes such as a rectangle, triangle,polygon or the like. The shape, thickness, and materials of constructionfor disc device 100 may be similar to those for device 10 describedabove. The device 100 may have a body 111, an opening 112, one or moreprojections 114 extending into the opening 112, and may or may not haveone or more slits 113. A flexible flange 116 of material may be disposedaround the body 111. The flange 116 may be made of a material that isthinner and more flexible than the body 111. The material may take othershapes such as the shape of the hand of the user and may be constructedof a material having insulating properties to advantageously inhibitheat transfer between the hand of the user and the product, which mayhave a deleterious impact on the product. The flange 116 can be arrangedso as to provide a contoured engagement with a pastry bag.

Thus, it is seen that the objects of the present invention areefficiently obtained, although modifications and changes to theinvention should be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill inthe art, which modifications are intended to be within the spirit andscope of the invention as claimed. It also is understood that theforegoing description is illustrative of the present invention andshould not be considered as limiting. Therefore, other embodiments ofthe present invention are possible without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention.

1. A device for controlling extrusion of a product from a bag having afilling end and a dispensing end, the device comprising: a body havingfirst and second opposite sides and an opening therethrough forreceiving the filling end of the bag; and at least one projectionextending from the body into the opening, the projection frictionallyengaging the bag; wherein the body and at least one projection close thefilling end of the bag to prevent backflow and escape of product fromthe filling end, and are slidable along the bag in a direction towardthe dispensing end to progressively reduce available volume of the bag.2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one projection isresiliently deflectable between a relaxed position wherein theprojection is flush with the first and second sides of the body and anextended position wherein the projection is not flush with the first andsecond sides of the body.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the body hasa circular disc shape.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the body and atleast one projection are integrally formed of plastic.
 5. The device ofclaim 2, wherein the at least one projection is a plurality ofprojections arranged about the opening.
 6. The device of claim 5,wherein each of the plurality of projections converges to a point. 7.The device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of projections close theopening when each of the plurality of projections is in the relaxedposition.
 8. The device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of projectionsdo not close the opening when each of the plurality of projections is inthe relaxed position.
 9. The device of claim 5, wherein the devicefurther comprises a peripheral wall about the body.
 10. The device ofclaim 9, wherein the peripheral wall has a support ribbing.
 11. Thedevice of claim 9, further comprising a circumferential flange extendingfrom the peripheral wall.
 12. A combination comprising: a conical pastrybag including a filling end and a dispensing end, the pastry bagcontaining product to be dispensed from the dispensing end; and a deviceincluding (i) a body having first and second opposite sides and anopening therethrough for receiving the filling end of the bag, and (ii)a plurality of resiliently deflectable projections extending from thebody into the opening, the projections being deflected to an extendedposition by insertion of the filling end of the bag through the opening,wherein the plurality of projections exert a spring force on the bag toclose the filling end and prevent backflow and escape of product fromthe filling end.
 13. The combination of claim 12, wherein each of theplurality of projections converges toward a point, and the pointedprojections engage the bag to inhibit motion of the device toward thefilling end of the bag.
 14. The combination of claim 12, wherein atleast a portion of the body is formed of an insulating material forreducing heat transfer to the pastry bag and product therein.
 15. Amethod of controlling the extrusion of product from a bag having afilling end and a dispensing end, the method comprising the steps of: a)providing a device comprising (i) a body having first and secondopposite sides and an opening therethrough, and (ii) a plurality ofresiliently deflectable projections extending from the body into theopening; b) inserting the filling end of the bag through the opening ofthe device, whereby the plurality of projections are deflected towardthe filling end of the bag and exert a spring force on the bag to closethe filling end and prevent backflow and escape of product from thefilling end; c) sliding the device along the bag toward the dispensingend to pressurize the product within the bag; and d) applying pressureto the bag to extrude product through the dispensing end of the bag. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the step of applying pressure to the bagis performed manually.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step ofapplying pressure to the bag is performed by only one hand of a user.